Gaming device manufacturers strive to make gaming devices that provide as much enjoyment and excitement as possible. Providing a secondary or bonus game in which a player has an opportunity to win potentially large awards or credits in addition to the awards associated with the primary or base game of the gaming device is one known method for enhancing player enjoyment and excitement.
Gaming devices having bonus games generally employ a triggering event that occurs during the operation of the base game of the gaming device. The triggering event temporarily stalls or halts the base game play and enables a player to enter a second, different game, which is the secondary or bonus game. The player plays the bonus game, likely receives an award, and returns to the base game.
Certain gaming machines include one or more wheels which display bonus awards. For example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,882,261; 5,911,418; 6,089,918; 6,334,814; 6,605,000 and 6,663,488 disclose such gaming devices Another bonus game is described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,483. U.S. Pat. No. 6,224,483 discloses a gaming device having a primary game including several reels with symbols. Multiple paylines are associated with the reels. A bonus game is initiated when the player obtains a specific combination of symbols on the reels. In the bonus game, the player causes a wheel to spin. The wheel includes several awards. The number of spins of the wheel provided to the player in the bonus game is based on the number of paylines that the player played in the primary game, the number of credits wagered on the paylines in the primary game or the specific symbol combination or combinations which occurred on the reels in the primary game. The bonus game ends when the player has no spins remaining. The player receives the total accumulated awards from the spins of the wheel in the bonus game.
Gaming devices that increase the opportunities to obtain awards and increase the size of the awards are desirable. Players are attracted to games that provide several larger awards and the opportunity to obtain a very large award. Therefore, to increase player enjoyment and excitement, it is desirable to provide new games for gaming devices.